Sapa

After Halong Bay we had a long journey back to the madness of Hanoi, which we promptly left for the madness of an overnight train to the northwest mountains.  Sapa is a town in the highlands famous for the minority tribes that live in the area and farm the rice terraces that scale the hillsides.  We heard it was beautiful, but it was so foggy on our journey through town and out to the Topas Eco-lodge (18 km down a windy, muddy cliff-side road) that we couldn't see a thing (although mostly we just slept on the ride to the lodge, not having done much on the train ride).  
The fog settled around us, so we couldn't enjoy the lovely views from the lodge.  I heard it was clearer down the mountain, so I joined two Swiss guys and a guide for a hike.  It was beautiful, and we met many people from the Tay, Red Dzao, and Black Hmong tribes.  We entered a few of the houses on the way, and I felt like I was in Madagascar.  This was the poorest region of Vietnam I visited.  Houses had dirt floors and indoor fires for cooking.  I looked at the children and worried about their respiratory systems.  Despite the soot, the houses were kept very tidy and in most houses a television set was featured as the prize possession.  I wondered what the people thought about the wealth, violence, joy, and sadness they must see on TV, and about the daily stream of tourists gawking at their lifestyles.  I also wondered to what extent people choose to maintain their traditions, or to what extent the economy or discrimination keep them there.  
Cows (or are they buffalo?) roamed the rice fields and didn't mind having their pictures taken.
In the village of Ban Ho we visited a school, hot spring and waterfall, as well as a government office were officials are overseeing a major hydro-dam project in the valley.  

After the long hike down we took motorbike taxis back to the lodge. I'd seen a few bikes go down in the slippery mud and was freaked out for most of the journey, but my driver got me home without a hitch.